1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to displays which have quantized display characteristics for each of the pixels, and more particularly to methods of display which improve the apparent resolution of the display. The invention also relates to optical MEMS devices, in general, and bi-stable displays in particular.
2. Description of the Related Technology
A function of electronic displays, regardless of whether they are monochrome or color displays or whether they are of self-luminous or reflective type, is the generation of graded intensity variations or gray levels. A large number of gray levels are required for high-quality rendering of complex graphic images and both still and dynamic pictorial images. In addition, color reproduction and smooth shading benefit from a relatively high intensity resolution for each primary color display channel. The de facto standard for “true color” imaging is 8 bits per primary color or a total of 24 bits allocated across the three (RGB) primary color channels. However, it is important to recognize that it is the perceived representation, or effective resolution of these bits (producing an effective intensity resolution) and not merely their addressability which ultimately determine display image quality.
Bi-stable display technologies pose unique challenges for generating displays with high quality gray scale capability. These challenges arise from the bi-stable and binary nature of pixel operation, which requires the synthesis of gray scale levels via addressing techniques. Moreover, high pixel density devices are often limited to relatively low temporal frame rates due to fundamental operational constraints and the need for high levels of synthesis for both gray scale and color. These challenges and constraints place emphasis on the need for novel and effective methods of spatial gray level synthesis.